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Tag Archives: wickedness

We are reading in the news about CEO’s and upper management personnel resigning by the dozens because of sexual allegations made against them. Resigning themselves or being asked to resign a well paying high level job position because of a couple of complaints? This does not make sense. Something else has to be driving this phenomenon. Adultery, fornication, cheating, lying, stealth, manipulation, has been going on for some time in upper management personnel. Why the change now? What is happening to cause this. Is there something more about these high level resignations that is being kept quiet? It almost seems this is so. We are living in an age where there is very little privacy and very little that is not known or can not be known about individuals or groups of people. What could they have been doing that is so egregious that they are willing to step down for the most part without much protest? Devil worship and the (death sacrifice0 of children is what comes to my mind. Another thought is that the child sex trade is rampant in the USA. The average age of a child sex slave is 13 years old. This makes more sense to me in requiring resignations as it is illegal to have sex with a minor.

In my community in Canada an MLA stepped down from his political office during the last week stating his reason for doing this was so he could spend more time with his family and that he had been hunting illegally and was caught. In the newspaper at my grocery store today this MLA’s name and picture was released in the press (front page) stating that he has been charged with sexual interference and sexual assault of a minor child. He lied earlier to the press and the public about why he was resigning his position.

We may end up seeing something similar happening to leaders in the church. Leadership either stepping down or being required to step down because of their misbehavior, their apostasy from Christ, their mismanagement/ mistreatment of God’s people, other problems, etc. We have an obligation as a church congregation in our day to judge the leadership, to test the spirits, to hold leaders accountable to God. Leadership in the church must be pure, must be without reproach in their private and public lives. They must hold to very high values, have a determination to follow the word of God, to shepherd faithfully even if this costs them dearly personally and professionally. This is the example of the quality of early church leaders shown and taught to us in the NT scriptures.

In Jeremiah we see a picture that looks like the beginning of creation as set out in the book of Genesis. I think this portion of scripture is describing the end. In other parts of the Bible it talks about the heavens passing away, the stars falling from heaven, the heavens being rolled away like a scroll the lights of the heavens going dark. God says, “heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will not pass away.” The Bible talks about God making a new heaven and new earth.

Men plot and plan their evil deeds thinking that they have become wise. They deceive and feign friendship with a companion while planning an ambush in their heart. They call evil good and good evil. They reward those who behave badly insisting that others do what they themselves are doing. They love unjust reward and robbery. They oppress and enslave the weak and powerless. They have no compassion for the widow or the orphan.

Jeremiah chapter 4:23-26

“I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.

In scripture the apostle Paul says that we are in a fight and that we are to win this fight as followers of Jesus. This fight is between righteousness and wickedness. Internally within ourselves, and externally in our world. We have to be ready to give it our all in this fight. Paul says don’t beat the air ineffectually, but understand what you are doing and how to do it. Follow the leading of the Spirit of God in your life.

This fight is the fight of faith. Staying faithful to God, listening to him, and obeying him.

This fight might be costly. The Bible says we are to count the cost, put our hands to the plow, and don’t look back. We are either for righteousness or against it. These are the two positions in our world at the present time.

The Bible says that if we fight for righteousness God will be at our right hand. He will teach our hands to war and our fingers to fight. He will be our shield all around. If we stand he will be our helper to deliver us from our enemies.

Scripture is clear. Believers have enemies. Those who want to destroy righteousness, kill God, and live in the lusts of their flesh. King David says that God’s enemies are his enemies and that he hates them with a pure hatred.

What we are seeing in the USA today is dizzying The divide that has occurred between people who want to throw off all restraint of righteousness and people who are trying to maintain some kind of righteousness in the land. This is not a political divide. It is not a racial divide. It is righteousness and wickedness fighting each other within both groups of people.

As Believers we need to declare ourselves on God’s side. Take this stance in our lives and come what may stand in it. God will help us and show himself faithful to us. We have this well known quote from Joshua, ‘Choose you this day who you will serve.. but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.’

We are living in challenging times as Christians. Our faith is being undermined by wayward Christian teachers and prophets in our day. How does this happen? I Timothy and II Timothy give some explanation as to how this occurs. Teachers start to wander off the path of truth and are in a position to ruin the faith of others. For some teachers it is their desire to be preeminent among others. For other teachers they have accepted and confessed beliefs in a worldly knowledge. These causes are based in inward personality faults that have not been overcome or resisted by someone who is teaching God’s word. Through their influence they can shipwreck the godly faith of other Christians. God’s word says that those who teach will receive the greater condemnation in a judgment if they get it wrong. We have some Christian teachers in our day that have really gone out on a limb teaching that godliness in conduct and behavior is not needed in the life of a believer. Others teach that financial gain is what Christianity is all about. Still others teach mystical, spiritualistic practices interspersed with the Word of God.

The names of some of these men are given in I and II Timothy. Hymanaeus, Philetus, and Alexander are specifically identified by Paul. To have lived in that day teaching believers and then to find your name written in the Bible as a faith-wrecker would be devastating. We need to be careful as teachers and as receivers of ‘christian’ teaching. Many popular teachers of our day teach half-truths or even less godly content in their teaching about the Christian life. We cannot be enamored with the ‘popular’ at the expense of our faith and eternal life. Paul exhorted Timothy to hold onto his faith and his good conscience. Contrary to much of the Christian teaching today our conscience means something to us. If we are feeling guilty, confused or uncomfortable then we need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit and examine ourselves by the Word of God and what the Bible Scriptures teach.